These are Cutlerine's nominations and comments for the 2017 awards. See all nominations here.
Electric Sheep just gets better and better the more Jax writes it. It started out good, felt its way towards excellent, and is now hovering somewhere around superb. (That's better than excellent, shush.) It's no longer being updated on these forums, so I'm definitely going to take my last chance to nominate it for these awards and do so right now.
Phantom Project is the sequel to Survival Project, and what it does is take everything that made that first fic great and continue with it, while systematically improving on all the things that it didn't do so well with. The result is some seriously excellent character-driven drama, and there was no doubt in my mind that it was going to be my first nomination for Best Chaptered Fic when the awards rolled around.
I've never really got into PMD fic, but this one … this one's kinda special. It's really damn good, basically, and it's kept getting better as it goes on and begins to find its feet. There's a lot of it, and it's quite hard to keep up with the update schedule at times – but it's seriously worth the effort; it does interesting things structurally, and the characters are wonderfully realised.
This is an exceptionally cute little Christmas-themed one-shot. Like so many Christmas stories, you know how it'll end before it even gets going – but it handles itself so well that you keep on reading anyway.
Dramatic Melody is always good for a superb one-shot, and Unpacking is no exception. It's short, but powerful – and entirely done in dialogue, too, which makes the strength of its characterisation and plot all the more impressive.
It's one of Jax's most plotted-out fics to date, and it shows. Everything fits together perfectly, from the socioeconomics behind why some people know certain things and others do not to the elegant repurposing of the in-game story to work with the android story Jax has woven in. It's just incredibly well done.
Like The Halvarsaga, The Amazing Hawlucha Man is a really simple but incredibly good idea: superhero shenanigans in the pokémon world. It's brilliant, and all the better for being so well executed; Firebrand takes the idea and explores it about as fully as you could really wish for.
Epistolary fiction is hard to write, but Flying in the Dark is a sterling example of the genre. Diamondpearl876 does an excellent job of creating two voices operating not quite in harmony, each trying to give the other a certain impression of themself, full of secrets and half-truths. Stylistically, it's really impressive.
The Worldslayers is exhausting. The whole fic is an exercise in describing this worn-out world, where everything has persisted longer than it was meant to, where everything is dead and yet lingering on as memories. Bit by bit, chapter by chapter, the picture we get of this world deepens. It isn't description as we usually think of it, a big chunk of descriptive text; it's much more subtle and effective than that.
The Halvarsaga finished quite early on in the year, but it's still a fantastic idea for a fic. I mean, vikings, you guys. And more than that, Firebrand follows through on the promise of that setting; it's a rich, vivid and very colourful depiction of an extraordinary period of Northern European history. But better, because there are also pokémon that possess swordsmen or scream you to death.
Preparations is a delight. It was my Yuletide gift fic, so obviously I'm biased, but I think it nails that essential short story criterion of doing a lot with relatively little; it's not long at all, but it sketches out a whole history and a culture while simultaneously adding a new interpretation to an interestingly open bit of canon – I love seeing alternate explanations for why Aster matters, and in Preparations diamondpearl876 has given one I've never come across before. That's definitely worth a nomination.
Bay's got a sharp eye for character, and her Grimsley and Nanu are spot-on, revealing so much about the characters I'd never have thought of myself. It's a delight to read them, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing where the story goes from here.
Shane and Tessa are remarkable. They come across as a little flat in the early stages of the fic, but once the dynamic between them gets going they really come into their own. The slow unmasking of Shane's jerkishness as a cover for his own self-loathing; the uncovering of what it is that drives Tessa and fuels her anxieties – it's really well handled, and I'm genuinely very interested to see how these characters develop as the story continues.
Chromatic is wonderful in general, but I'm specifically nominating Orange here, which is short, silent and haunting. It takes a point of view that's all too often handled kind of terribly in fic – namely, that there are ethical concerns with pokémon training as represented by the game mechanics, if not by the themes – and does it superbly. In the process, the wild growlithe and his trainer take on a peculiarly compelling life of their own.
I might have nominated this last year, I can't remember, but it's just brilliant. Good epistolary fiction with multiple correspondents' perspectives is difficult to pull off, and as I said above, the way Markus and Haley try to manipulate what each sees of the other – even as, through sharing these things with each other, they're drawn a little closer together – is really well done.
This is one of the strongest of roule's fics to date; I love how vividly the twitchy suspicion of the idol who knows how likely she is to be stalked is evoked, and the way it colours all her interactions and transforms them into potentially spooky encounters. There are some genuinely weird things going on, like the woman wearing a Nepalese deity mask, but it's in Mizuki's mind that these weird things become properly creepy, and it's really cleverly done.
Orange again. Simple, effective, devastating. I won't spoil it in case you haven't read it, but you should 100% read it.
It's a Christmas story. You know what's going to happen. But you read it to see it happening anyway, and when you're done you come away with a warm feeling inside. It's just a great short story.
This new, revised version of Love and Other Nightmares is shaping up to be an impressive rewrite. A trainer fic is about a trainer going around in the world, and as such it relies on a strong protagonist and a compelling world – two areas that this fic really delivers on.
Everything I've said about this fic in previous nominations still stands. It's just really damn good, and it's getting better the more Ambyssin develops as a writer. Definitely one to watch.
This fic is just very charming. Which sounds like damning it with faint praise, but I mean that sincerely. The characters are fun and engaging, it handles the introduction of new world information really well, and it's overall just a fun read.
Rarely have I seen such a great Blue. TikTok13 just nails everything about him, right down to the way all his different emotions manifest as anger. Definitely one of the best canon character-centric fics I've read this year.
Again, Bay has a really sharp eye for character; her Grimsley and Nanu are exceptionally good. If you're not reading it, you probably should be.
Plasma is the villainous team that left the greatest number of traumatised people in its wake; Mattie is an ex-affiliate of the team. That sets the scene for you – and Mattie's negotiation of her past in her present, her remaining belief in the cause of ethical training in the shadow of the organisation she once worked with, is really well handled.
Syr is a terminally anxious snake, which doesn't sound that interesting but it is, trust me. His constant battle to keep both the past and his fears in check is tense and well-written, and the moment where it all boils over and he flees for home is electric.
Listen, Blair is adorable, and her relationship with Door is adorable, and I won't hear a word against her. But, if that's not enough for you, I think she's a very interesting character. She's not as strong as Door, and she makes her peace with it, and then there's the way her relationship with Door develops over time – it's so good, you guys. You should read it.
His is a charming non-human perspective. You get the feeling that he understands humans much less completely than he thinks he does, which is a delicate thing to convey, and very impressive. PhalanxSigil has done excellent work characterising him.
There are relatively few antagonists in the stories I've read, but Russo is a great example. He's one of those characters who incarnates the principle that the worst monsters are human, and icomeanon6 really makes it work.
The second Blair(e) I've nominated. This one's because of the revisions Antoshi made; she was a fairly unconvincing character in the original version, but she's an excellent Gym Leader as things stand.
Slowly, as she's making her way down the darker residential areas of Shibuya, Mizuki begins to notice a low, clicking noise. It's metallic in tone and follows a strange rhythmic pattern that confounds her. However, what scares her the most is the fact that it's following her, not moving away as she walks down the street, towards the studio. After a little bit, she hears a woman's voice speaking in a low tone, inaudible to Mizuki but… familiar. However, she just ignores it, letting the thoughts of paranoia and "stalker?" roam her mind.When she's three blocks down, close to the studio's steel building glinting in the moonlight, Mizuki loses her patience. The clicking is closer, louder now, and the voice is lower in tone, as if not to startle her. It's itching at her mind, scratching bright red, and if she keeps hearing it, she'll punch this person in the face and run all the way to the studio screaming.She whips her head around to see the mask-wearing woman from before, looking over at the scizor, who clicks its pincers in an odd rhythm, left sometimes and right other times.She wasn't losing her mind, she was being followed! By that creep from Don Quijote! The woman had seen Mizuki's picture in that magazine, and stalked her to Shibuya, and intended on doing dirty things to her!Mizuki knows that Atsuko holds no chance against the mantis, the brionne being not very fond of combat, much like her owner. So she reaches for her can of mace, always in the front pocket of her purse.Before she maces the woman, she shouts at her, waggling the can in front of her:"You think you're really sneaky following me over here, don'tcha?"The woman looks over, and freezes, hands in her pockets. The scizor doesn't react, just looks over at Mizuki, staring with an unreadable expression."Didn't think I'd notice, huh?" Mizuki growls, finger twitching. "Did you really think I wouldn't notice you following me?"
Really, I want to nominate the whole exchange from Mizuki's first encounter with the stranger to the moment they part ways again, but that's too long, so here's the central section instead. It really is wonderfully creepy.
“Oh… oh God…” Syr felt his mouth and throat go dry. It made all too much sense. That was why the deranics had needed the koffing. Seterhath Zulo-Denvenda was powered by their elemental energy.Ren drew a shaking breath, his hooded head bowed for a moment. “Okay,” he said quietly. “You can handle this. I promise you can.” He was trying to sound composed, but his voice was too brittle. “Stay with it. We need to know if it’s spreading.”Still staring into the distance, “…Spreading?” Acheron responded. “No. No, it’s already over. The pulse, I mean. No more casualties… for now.”“That might’ve been a test run,” Demi guessed aloud. “The next one could be bigger.”Bigger. Morbid images immediately filled Syr’s mind, echoes of the past that suddenly felt like the future. Bodies dropping everywhere, seizing up and gasping for air just like his own prey. Pyres burning into the night. Entire cities wracked with grief and fear. Rustboro could be next.Convergence could be next.That was the thought that broke him. With a strangled cry, Syr doubled back and surged toward the tunnel, sparing no attention for the rocks that bit into his flesh. All that mattered now was his son. All that mattered was being there for him, if he couldn’t save him…Voices shouted from behind. Long, loping steps swiftly approached, and soon there were arms around his chest, holding him back.“Let me go!” he said between sobs. “Let me go, please; I have to get to him…”“It’s too far,” Acheron said. “Too far to run. You’d kill yourself trying.”“We’re gonna die anyway!” Though the kwazai was only holding him tightly enough to keep him in place, he could feel his breaths growing short. His heart was hammering too fast, too hard.“Syr… you can’t see him anytime soon,” Demi said as she circled around Syr and Acheron. “It’ll be at least a few more days unless we find a teleporter.”“And your son’s a poison-type,” Acheron reminded Syr. “It’s an elemental weapon. Depending on how it works… he might be immune. Or at least resistant.”It took a moment for the words to sink in properly. Poison. His own element. He knew how it worked. And yes… yes, no matter how hard it was to believe, his son was a fellow poison-type now. He’s not a snorunt anymore.
It's been a long time coming. Syr's not always been the best dad, but he's always been dedicated, and he's only got better as he gains experience and figures things out. Throughout The Worldslayers up to this point, he's been hiding his fears and anxieties, forcing it all down inside him, and this is the messy, chaotic moment where it all explodes outwards again. It's wonderfully handled.
Jack did not move. He could not move; the archen was far too quick. Jack could only widen his eyes and hold his scalchops in front of him, crossed, in an effort to defend himself.The archen struck him twice. Once in the front, slamming his scalchops into his chest. And then again after rising a short distance, banking around, and striking him from behind.It was the strike from behind that did it. Jack’s back bent against the archen’s beak. His eyes opened as far as they could, and his mouth widened, fanged jaws stretching apart farther than Door had ever seen them go.In hindsight, Door wouldn’t remember whether or not Jack screamed. He probably did. He had enough time. But that didn’t seem important to Door. Not compared to the sight of Jack, her dewott, her very first pokémon partner, exploding into a cloud of pink smoke.For some reason, though, she could remember the way his scalchops sounded when they struck the rock floor—a pair of metallic pings as they bounced—shortly before they dissolved into pink smoke too. All that was left was the mystic water Hilda had given him seemingly ages ago, which bounced further than the scalchops and clattered to the ground at Door’s feet.And then, Door remembered screaming. She remembered Geist dragging her back. She remembered Huntress leaping at the archen, and she remembered the crunch of the archen’s neck between Huntress’s jaws. The next clear memory she had was of Geist’s hand on her wrist and of his voice in her ear.
There's more – most of this chapter is eligible – but this is the standout segment. There comes a point in every nuzlocke where you slip up or get unlucky or fall into the trap of complacency, and, well, this is that one for Electric Sheep. And it's treated so well in Jax's write-up of the run that it has to be nominated here.
The gentle, flickering lantern light filled the ceremonial tatami room, its many sliding doors adorned with artwork of poison Pokémon mid-attack, their human partners depicted behind them. The room was full of gym trainers, staff, and Pokémon alike. Humans sat seiza on decorated cushions on the mats, and those who needed it sat on chairs. Small and medium-sized Pokémon sat by their trainers, while larger creatures lined the back of the room. All waited in respectful silence for the ceremony to begin.At the front of the room, Koga’s Pokémon stood (and floated and flapped) beside him, and Janine was similarly flanked by her team. She resisted the urge to lay a hand on Ariados for comfort.“I, Koga, stand before you as the current Leader of the Fuchsia City Pokémon Gym,” he said, addressing the crowd. “Today, I pass the torch and appoint a new Gym Leader to take my place. Come forward, Janine.”Janine stood before the gym team, humans and Pokémon alike. Dozens of eyes were on them – or perhaps on her. They were all people and Pokémon she knew well, and had trained and worked beside for years. She knew their strengths and their weaknesses, and they in turn knew hers.“Do you accept the responsibility of accepting challenges to defend the honour of Fuchsia City Gym, instructing trainers in the art of Pokémon battling, and upholding the ninja clan?”Janine’s chest swelled. “I accept this responsibility with all of the challenge and hardship it entails. I will battle with my heart and soul, and I will never falter in my duties to this gym, this city, and this clan.” She knew the words by heart and could recite them in her sleep by now, especially the ones that had been added specifically for the Fuchsia City Gym.“Then I, Koga, pass my legacy on to Janine, and declare her the new Fuchsia City Gym Leader.” Koga bowed, presenting the keys in his flat, open palms. Heart swelling with pride, she bowed in return, and accepted them in both her hands. She hung them on her belt, felt the weight of them on her hip, and smiled. She bowed to the crowd.The room erupted in cheers and Pokémon cries as father and daughter shook hands, exchanging broad, proud smiles.“You’re going to be great,” her feather said over the din, for her ears only. And basking in the glow of love and support from her gym, she couldn’t help but believe him.
Posted on the 31st, A Gym Legacy is just eligible for this year's awards, and I'm very glad it is; like most of this year's Yuletide fics, it just makes you feel good. The whole thing is really what makes it work, but this scene is the climax, and it's very sweet indeed.
“I do recall making you a promise,” Halvard said. “To unite the north and south. But something tells me that won’t be as simple as walking up to the gates of your Kalosian king and demanding a treaty. No, I think this will require time and careful planning.” He turned to Wulfric. “And I trust you will help me?”“Of course. I made a promise too.”Halvard looked out at the open ocean and smiled. “We’ll get to the south someday, Wulfric.” Uthald swam in front of them as they passed through the opening of the fjord, the ruins of Donatus’s towers on either side. Uthald swam in front of the ship, his cobalt scales gleaming. “But for now, the north is enough, don’t you think?”Wulfric nodded, feeling a deep ache in his heart for the rolling pastures of Rovngalad. For home. “Yes. For now, the north is enough.”
The end of The Halvarsaga is wonderful. It really is. After all the action, all the fighting, you have this little moment of peace. It's great.
All day, Alex had felt himself pushed to the sidelines by the other heroes, more of a distraction and a hindrance than an equal. But now the Hammer himself was giving Alex a chance to prove his worth. He gritted his teeth and lashed out at Polovich, determined to make every blow count. “Yes!” the Hammer boomed as he wrenched a lamp post from the sidewalk and swung out at the Metagross. “Give it everything you’ve got! Don’t hold anything back!”The Boyar used his metal bracers to parry Alex and Hierro’s blows, fending off their assault with a speed that belied the weight of the gauntlets. “You don’t know what you’re dealing with, kid!” Polovich snapped. “Do you really think a whelp like you can best the Iron Boyar?”“I was asking myself the same question,” Alex growled. He jumped up and delivered two swift kicks to Polovich’s abdomen, making the man double over and stagger back three paces. “And I like my odds!”Polovich gestured to his Metagross. “Crush them.”The abandoned cars scattered up and down the street began to rise up into the air as the Metagross’s steel cross began to glow again. The cross flashed and the cars flew towards the heroes. Alex was about to retreat when the Hammer’s Conkledurr blew past him, twisting his entire upper body and swinging his heavy concrete blocks around. The fighting type deftly battered away the first three cars and shoved the block in his left hand through the hood of a fourth. The Hammer threw his lamp post away and caught a fifth in his mechanized hand. The Metagross tried to raise two more cars, only to have the Conkledurr hurl his cement pillars and pin the automobiles to the ground. Meanwhile, the Hammer’s Hariyama threw its considerable bulk behind a reckless blow and sent Polovich’s Bastiodon sprawling. “Well done!” the Hammer cried, the joints of his suit hissing as he flexed its arms.“Damn them,” Polovich snarled, fumbling for something tucked into the back of his waistband. “Barrier, now!”A translucent wall sprang up, stretching from one side of the street to the other. The Hammer and his pokemon immediately rushed forward and began pounding against the barricade, their fists making the psychic barrier ripple. Alex could see tiny hairline fractures begin to form with each impact, but he couldn’t be sure that they would break through before Polovich could pull off another trick. He watched where the ripples traveled, tracking the contour of the wall.
There's a lot more of this – basically the entirety of chapter nine is what I'm nominating here; it's just the highlight of a phenomenal multi-chapter battle royale between all the superheroes and supervillains. It's excellent.
A Blond Ray of Sunshine, in its first incarnation, was okay. After the revisions? I was genuinely impressed. Antoshi made real progress as a writer through those revisions, and that's definitely deserving of recognition.
If diamondpearl876 reads something, a review will result. Not always right away, but eventually, time permitting, you get a review. And that's pretty much the definition of dedication, I think.
Ambyssin's already been nominated for this award, and I've been trying to avoid nominating anyone or anything that's already been nominated, but I honestly can't not. Ambyssin has reviewed pretty much anything and anything going; the sheer volume of reviews he's produced is incredible – in the literal sense, like I don't know how that's even possible. It definitely deserves some recognition.